


Just Another Lie

by wolfofwinterfell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:34:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24717616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfofwinterfell/pseuds/wolfofwinterfell
Summary: The scene in the Forbidden Forest as seen from Narcissa’s point of view.
Kudos: 7





	Just Another Lie

The fire burning in the middle of the clearing was the only sound, making it all the louder. Narcissa usually found fires comforting; she enjoyed the soft murmurs they made in the fireplace and the soft glow of light. But now, deep in the Forbidden Forest, she was completely on edge. 

The Death Eaters around her were silent, all looking at the Dark Lord. Their expressions ranged from battle-weary to excited to ready to fight again. The Dark Lord himself stood in the midst of them, head bowed and hands steepled over the wand in front of him. For a moment the childish thought crossed Narcissa’s mind that he could have been praying, had she not known better. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch in the ghost of a smile but a quick look to the snake behind him writhing in her gleaming cage banished it quickly. 

She sensed quiet steps and felt herself tense. Nobody spoke until Yaxley and Dolohov had joined their circle and she couldn’t decide what was worse - waiting to hear of their failure or being a bit glad for it. 

“No sign of him, my Lord,” said Dolohov, sounding resigned. 

Narcissa barely noticed the Dark Lord move but she could sense Bellatrix eager to help him somehow and she clenched her teeth together. Did it ever end? Her sister’s desire for him...this worship? She and her sister had never seen eye-to-eye on these matters. Bellatrix preferred to meet things head on, preferably with a curse from the end of her wand. Narcissa was more protective, but more thoughtful, knowing that rash actions often led to bad outcomes. 

Voldemort was speaking but she barely heard him. She was thinking instead of how she could make it out of the clearing alive, how to find Draco and how to get off the grounds of Hogwarts - a place she had once thought so safe. And then there was a new voice, one she recognized but one that sounded much more mature and brave than she felt. 

“You weren’t.” Harry Potter said loudly, and those two words ripped apart the quiet of the forest, the illusion of the quiet night. 

The Death Eaters rose to their feet in unison as the giants roared. Laughter, gasps and cries all rang out around Narcissa, but she was silent. She felt as though all the air had been knocked from her body at the sight of the young man, her mind racing as she imagined him as Draco. What would she do if it were her son? Would she let him be killed? Would she let him sacrifice himself for what he thought was the greater good? No. But how could she do anything else? 

Voldemort had frozen and everyone watched as Harry moved closer to him, Hagrid yelling in the background until someone silenced him. Narcissa felt her breath coming faster as Bellatrix, next to her, looked between the two wizards, chest heaving from her breathing. She was  _ enjoying  _ this. Narcissa felt sick. How could anyone enjoy the death of a child?

Potter made no move to draw his wand and she wanted to scream at him to grab it, to at least go down fighting, but she couldn’t make her body do anything. She didn’t hear anything but she saw the flash of green light and it wasn’t just his body she saw fall. It was Draco’s too. 

Several of the Death Eaters moved as one, going to the side of the fire their lord had fallen on, ignoring the boy. Bellatrix was first among them, repeating the same words over and over to him, a plea to get up or to be okay...it could be either. And then they were backing away as he rose, all except Bellatrix, desperate to help. 

“You,” came the Dark Lord’s voice, cold and commanding. There was a bang and then a shriek that she bit down as quickly as she could. Narcissa’s shoulder stung where his spell hit her. “Examine the boy. Tell me whether or not he is dead.” 

She strode over the ground quickly, for there was sure to be a reprimand otherwise, and looked over Potter’s body as she knelt before him. His left arm was bent awkwardly and his mouth was gaping open. She drew in a deep breath and began to look him over. Her touch was gentle as she put a hand to his face and then his eyelids and she had to choke back a sob. He was too young to be dead, to be hunted down, and she was glad she had been made to do this, even though it made her sick. Bellatrix would probably tear him limb from limb. 

Was that a breath she felt on her cheek? 

She eased a hand under his shirt, down to his chest to rest over his heart, and she was glad her back was toward everyone for she was sure her eyes had widened. He was alive. 

And in that moment, she made a decision. If he could help her - if he could give her hope - then she would do the same for him. She bent her head lower so her hair would shield his face entirely from the onlookers and when she as close to his ear as she could get without arousing suspicion, she whispered, “My son - Draco. Is he alive? Is he still in the castle?” 

“Yes,” he breathed back, so quietly she could barely hear him. 

But she had, and as her heart soared, she pulled her fingers in on his chest. It was an odd show of gratitude but it was the only one she could currently give. She sat up sharply and turned toward the onlookers. “He is dead!”

The Death Eaters yelled with excitement over their triumph, shooting up fireworks and stomping their feet. Narcissa moved back to her place beside Lucius, her expression guarded but for a small smile on her face. The only way she would be allowed into the castle would be as part of Voldemort’s army of conquerors, but she could put on a charade a little longer in order to find her son. What was one more betrayal? 


End file.
